Each REU will see increase of $44 for eight quarters

By Megan Kelley
Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com

CLARKSTON — At its first meeting of the year on Jan. 13, the Clarkston City Council had a discussion on the temporary price adjustment for sewer billing necessary for sewer repairs in West Alley. To recoup the money used for the repairs, the city planned to issue a temporary increase on each Residential Equivalency Unit (REU). For how long the temporary increase would last was up to council, which was given the option of three different repayment periods: four quarterly payments, six quarterly payments or eight quarterly payments.
Ultimately, council voted 6-1 to temporarily increase billing on each REU for a total of eight quarters, resulting in an increase of $44 for each quarter starting with the February billing cycle. Council President Pro Tem Laura Rodgers cast the lone nay vote.
At its regular meeting last August, council approved a resolution contracting with Pipeline Management Company (PMC) to execute repairs on two sections of the West Alley Sanitary Sewer Main for a total cost of $121,052.04.
At a later meeting in October, council adopted a resolution to authorize additional expenses in the amount of $72,972.50, bringing the total cost for the project to $194,024.54.
“This was the repair of two, I’ll call it, major sewer breaks, where the pipes were truly disconnected. They just didn’t even line up anymore because of shifting ground underneath the pipes. So, they had to be dug up. One of them, as I told you, was almost 30 feet down, the other one was 12 feet down and they had to go down and dig these up and get those repaired and get the pipes all reconnected again. It was a major project,” said city Manager Jonathan Smith.
While council ultimately did decide on a payment period, there was some discussion to potentially table the recommendation and make a decision at the next meeting, one that would take into account the roughly $96,000 the city has in its general fund from being reimbursed money from Independence Township after a billing issue last year.
“I’m really struggling with having almost $100,000 in our bank account and charging our residents this extra money at times that we don’t know what our lives and expenses are going to be in the future here. I’m just really struggling with that, to know that we could reduce it that much,” Rodgers said.
Several members, including Mayor Sue Wylie, were in favor of tabling it in order for the finance committee to meet and discuss potentially using money from the township’s reimbursement. However, Wylie was vocal that she believed that funds should remain separate.
“We have separate funds; we have a separate sewer fund, we have a separate water fund, which covers our water, which covers our sewer. The over payment from Independence Township was money that came from everything else. I really like to keep things separate. I really like to have the sewer funds and everything billed and people that use the sewers – which is everybody, pay for sewers and sewer repairs. Water pays for water, everything else covers everything else. That refund was from everything else. I realize it’s a hardship for people but I really like keeping the money separate,” Wylie said.
While the council agreed that they would like to save residents money, several members including Ted Quisenberry, Gary Casey and Erica Jones also agreed with Wylie that funds should remain separate.
While there was a motion to table discussion, the motion failed after Casey, Quisenberry, Al Avery and Amanda Forte all voted no on the motion.
It is unlikely that council will come back to the discussion to include the roughly $96,000 general fund dollars in the funding for the sewer repairs.